


Journey to the Past

by BBCGirl657



Series: Paige Hale Series [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-02-15 04:37:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2216094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BBCGirl657/pseuds/BBCGirl657
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek's little sister is dead right? Wrong! Only one of them is. Paige Hale returns to Beacon Hills in search of her brother Derek. She's here to help and support her brother and nothing else. What happens when she gets thrown in the middle of Scott and Stiles' problems? Stiles likes her, but it seems she's falling for another boy on the Lacrosse team. A boy with curly blonde hair and ocean blue eyes with a number 14 on his back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Return to Beacon Hills

Paige Hale drove up to the old, broken down, burnt house. She was surprised the county hadn’t taken it and torn it down, but Paige didn’t think she could stand the thought of it not being here. She looked around the yard.

The shreds of a tire swing hung from a tree. 

She remembered when her big brother used to push her in the swing. ‘Higher Derek!’ she would yell, but the older werewolf wouldn’t do it. 

He was too afraid of hurting his baby sister. 

She wasn’t the only younger sister of Derek Hale. 

There were three of them; Laura, Cora, and herself. 

She was also the only one in the family that looked like a miniature version of Derek. 

Dark hair and pale green eyes. 

But Paige was the one who was fiercely loyal to her brother. 

She would die for him. She would do anything her brother told her to.

In a way, he was her alpha. 

Not in the werewolf sense, but to her, he was. 

She walked up to the front door and found it open. She decided to go up to her old room and see if she could salvage anything.

 

Derek drove up to the Hale house. He got out and immediately smelled another scent. 

Another werewolf that he didn’t recognize. 

He cautiously walked through the house. He heard the floorboards creak behind him. He spun around, wolfed out, and grabbed the person’s throat. He turned back around and slammed them onto the floor. 

Hands grabbed at his wrist and forearm, but he didn’t snap out of it until a small, meek voice whimpered his name. 

Derek’s face returned to normal as he looked down at the person below him. “Paige?” he breathed. He was horrified as he let her go. 

She rolled over coughing and rubbing her throat. 

Derek couldn’t say anything, so he settled for nuzzling his sister’s hair. 

Paige managed to lift herself up and move closer to Derek. 

Derek ran his fingers through her hair and took in her scent.

It was the same as always. 

Paige curled up to Derek’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. 

For the first time in years, Derek smiled.


	2. Wolf Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige meets the boys.

“I thought you were dead”, Derek said. 

“So did I, but then I started to hear things. I heard that you came back to look for Laura. I came back to look for you”, Paige told him. 

“But why didn’t you tell me you were alive?” Derek asked. 

“Have you forgotten about the hunters? They’ve been after us for years. We’re Hale’s Derek. We’ve always been hunted”, she explained, “And plus with an alpha in the area”. 

“How do you know about that?” he asked. 

“I know a lot of things Derek. There’s another werewolf in town. He smells like he’s my age”, she said, “Is there something you’re not telling me Derek?” 

“His name is Scott McCall and he was bitten last night”, he told her, “He’s in high school. Speaking of high school. We need to get you registered”. 

“Why? Can’t I be home-schooled?” she asked. 

“Because I need you to keep an eye on him”, he said. 

“Fine”, she said. 

They got in Derek’s car and went to the high school. 

Everyone whispered as they walked through the hallway. 

They came to the office. 

Within an hour, Paige had her schedule. 

“You can start tomorrow”, Derek told her, “I’ll meet you at the car”. 

She tried to navigate the school. On her way out the door, she bumped into someone. She looked up and saw a boy with a buzz cut. “Oh, sorry”, she said blushing. 

“You’re new”, he said. 

“Yeah, I start tomorrow”, she said. 

“Well, see you tomorrow then”, he said and stepped aside to let her pass.

 

By the afternoon, Paige couldn’t stand being inside anymore. “I’m going for a run”, she told Derek and left the house. As she was running, she could hear voices. She followed them and found the same boy from school and his friend. “What are you doing here?” she hissed, “You two need to go”. 

“Why?” the boy with the shaggy brown hair asked. 

“Because…” she said. She stopped talking when she smelled her brother’s scent. 

“Paige, I thought you had gotten lost”, Derek said. He turned to the two boys. “What are you doing here? Huh? This is private property”, Derek said. 

“Derek”, Paige hissed. 

“Uh, sorry, man, we didn't know”, the boy with the buzz said. 

“Yeah, we were just looking for something, but– Uh, forget it”, the long haired one said. 

Derek tossed him his inhaler. 

“Uhm. All right, come on, I gotta get to work”, he said. 

“Paige, come on”, Derek said. 

She looked back at them, before leaving with Derek. 

“Dude, that was Derek Hale. You remember, right? He's only like a few years older than us”, Stiles said. 

“Remember what?” Scott asked. 

“His family. They all burned to death in a fire, like, ten years ago”, Stiles said. 

“I wonder what he's doing back”, Scott said. 

“Come on”, Stiles said, “Go figure that the one girl I like besides Lydia Martin is a Hale”.

 

The next morning, Derek drove his sister to school. “Ready?” he asked her. 

“Ready”, she said. 

Derek leaned over and squeezed her hand. 

She got out of the car and immediately Stiles ran up to her. She laughed at him and the growl that came from her brother. 

“Thought you could use an escort”, he said. 

“Thanks”, she said. 

He walked her to her first class. 

They entered the classroom as the teacher said, “I’d like to introduce our new student, Paige Hale”. 

When her last name was mentioned, everyone started to whisper. 

She sighed and took a seat in the back next to Stiles and Scott. She could tell the young werewolf was on edge. 

 

That afternoon, Stiles invited her to watch the lacrosse team practice. 

She noticed a cute curly haired blonde with ocean eyes putting on his helmet. 

His back showed the number 14. 

She didn’t know who he was, but she wanted to find out. She watched as the lacrosse team practiced and Scott made First Line. 

“There’s a party tomorrow night”, Stiles said. 

“But tomorrow night’s the full moon”, she said, “I can’t”. 

“Why?” he asked. 

“Because I’m doing something with my brother”, she told him, “I’d really love to…” 

“Stiles”, he told her. 

“Stiles”, she repeated smiling. 

 

Derek and Paige were the woods the next night, when they heard Scott. 

“Where is she?” Scott growled. 

“She's safe. From you”, Derek said tackling Scott to the ground. Derek forced him up against a tree. 

“What did you do with her?” Scott asked. 

“Shh, quiet”, Derek hissed, “Too late. They're already here. Run”. 

Scott was shot in the arm with an arrow. 

Paige tried to run back to him, but Derek stopped her. 

Derek got rid of two of them as Paige helped Scott. 

The three of them ran. 

“Who were they?” Scott asked. 

“Hunters. The kind that have been hunting us for centuries”, Paige answered. 

“Us? You mean you! You did this to me!” Scott yelled at Derek. 

“Is it really so bad, Scott? That you can see better - Hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You've been given something that most people would kill for. The bite is a gift”, Derek told him. 

“I don't want it”, Scott said. 

“You will. And you're gonna need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you and me, Scott - We're brothers now”, Derek told him. He got up and turned to walk away. 

Paige followed without any hesitation.

 

The next morning, Paige walked up to Scott in the hallway. 

“Leave me alone”, he said. 

“How’s your arm? Let me see your arm”, she said. 

“No”, he said. 

She grabbed his arm and pulled his sleeve up. “You’re find. You’re lucky it wasn’t laced with something”, she said. 

Stiles walked up and put his arm around Paige. 

She looked at him and he dropped his arm. “Don’t worry. I’m not like my brother. You don’t have to worry about me ripping your throat out with my teeth”, she said. She looked at him and flashed her yellow eyes at him. 

“Really? You too?” he asked. 

“It’s genetic”, she said, “It’s just nice to tell someone for a change”. She turned and placed a kiss on Stiles’ jaw line and said, “I’ll see you two later”. As she was walking away, she heard a thud. She smiled.

It was good to be home.


	3. Second Chance at First Line

“Stiles, I don’t even understand lacrosse”, Paige told him.

“It’ll be fun. Just help me keep an eye on Scott”, he said.

“Fine, but you’re starting to sound like my brother”, she told him. As she watched, Scott slammed into Jackson and immediately hit the ground. “No, no, no, no”, Paige muttered running towards him.

Stiles followed her.

“I can't control it, Stiles. It's happening”, Scott said.

“Scott breathe. Calm down”, Paige told him.

“What? Right here? Now?” Stiles asked, “Come on, get up. Come on. Come on”.

Paige and Stiles led Scott off the field. She caught sight of her brother. “Not now Derek”, she muttered under her breath.

Either way, Derek heard her.

They got Scott into the locker room.

“Come on, here we go. There. That's it. You okay? Scott, you okay?” Stiles asked.

“Get away from me!” Scott growled. Scott went after Stiles.

Paige tackled the older boy to the floor and bared her fangs at him. “Calm down!” she growled. She held him until his yellow eyes faded back to brown.

“Paige? Stiles - What happened?” Scott asked.

“You tried to kill me. It's like I told you before. It's the anger. It's your pulse rising. It's a trigger”, Stiles said.

“But that's lacrosse. It's a pretty violent game, if you hadn't noticed”, Scott said.

“Well, it's gonna be a lot more violent if you end up killing someone on the field”, Paige said.

“You can't play Saturday. You're gonna have to get out of the game”, Stiles said agreeing with her.

“I'm first line”, Scott argued.

“Not anymore”, Stiles told him.

 

That night, Paige and Derek snuck into Scott’s house while his mother was out.

Scott spun around and Derek grabbed him.

He slammed him up against the wall. “I saw you on the field”, Derek hissed.

“Wha - what are you talking about?” Scott asked.

“Stop playing dumb Scott”, Paige told him.

“You shifted in front of them! If they find out what you are, they find out about me. About all of us. And then it's not just the hunters after us, it's everyone”, Derek said.

“But - They didn't see anything! I...s - swear, I…” Scott stuttered.

“The only reason is because Stiles and I got you out of there before anyone saw anything”, Paige said.

“And they won't! Because if you even try to play in that game on Saturday - I'm gonna kill you myself”, Derek threatened.

And in a flash, they were both gone.

 

Paige found Scott in the hallway the next day. “Sorry about Derek”, she said, “He can be a little intimidating”.

“Intimidating?!” Scott scoffed, “He threatened to kill me!”

Paige blushed and said, “Yeah, he does that”.

Stiles ran up to them and dragged them over to the other side of the hallway.

“Tell me what they're saying. Can you hear 'em?” Stiles asked.

Both Scott and Paige listened.

“I want everyone under the age of 18 to be in their home by 9:30 p.m. We'd like to institute the curfew, effective immediately”, the Sheriff said.

“Look, we don't…” the principle said, but they didn’t hear the rest of it.

“Curfew because of the body”, Scott said.

“Whoa, whoa. What body?” Paige asked.

“Unbelievable. My dad's out looking for a rabid animal, while the jerk - off who actually killed the girl is just hangin' out, doing whatever he wants”, Stiles said.

“Well, you can't exactly tell your dad the truth about Derek and Paige”, Scott said.

“Thank you”, Paige said.

“I can do something”, Stiles said.

“Like what?” Scott asked.

“Find the other half of the body”, Stiles said.

“Are you kidding?” Scott asked as Stiles walked off.

“Stiles! Wait up!” Paige called, running after him. She caught up with him and grabbed his arm. “What body?” she asked.

“The other night, the police found half a body. Scott thinks he might have found the other half of the body. We went back the day we ran into you and Derek. It wasn’t there”, Stiles said.

She froze in her steps. Was Derek hiding something from her?

“Paige? You okay?” he asked.

“What did the body look like?” she asked, hoping for the best.

“It was the body of a young woman, cut in half, with bite marks all over her”, Stiles said.

Paige grabbed onto Stiles’ arm as her heart rate shot through the roof.

“Paige?!” Stiles yelled, drawing attention to them.

“I can’t breathe”, Paige said softly, “I can’t breathe”. She collapsed to the floor, out cold.

“Paige!” Stiles yelled. Stiles’ father and a number of teachers came running.

They took her to the nurses’ office.

Stiles tried to comfort Paige by running his fingers through her hair as they waited for her to wake up. Stiles pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Derek to come get here.

Her eyes opened when he walked through the door. “Derek”, she whimpered.

“Come on. Let’s get you home”, he said. He grabbed her backpack and carried her out to his car.

As they were leaving, Derek heard her say Stiles’ name.

 

Later that night, Derek left leaving Paige alone in the house.

Hours later, she smelled Scott and Stiles.

She looked out the window and saw them digging in her yard. She went outside and said, “What the hell are you guys doing here?”

The two screamed, before calming down.

“What did your brother bury here?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know. I was out the rest of the afternoon after my panic attack”, Paige explained.

“Scott and I went to the morgue and he sniffed the other half of the body. He came here this afternoon and said the scent was the same”, Stiles explained.

When they got to the bottom of the hole, they found a dead wolf.

“That’s weird”, Paige said.

“It's a wolf”, Scott said.

“Yeah, I can see that. I thought you said you smelled blood, as in human blood”, Stiles said.

“I told you something was different”, Scott said.

“Guys, this doesn't make sense”, Paige said.

“We gotta get out of here”, Scott said.

“Yeah. Okay, help me cover this up”, Stiles said. Stiles stopped for a moment and Paige followed his line of sight.

“What's wrong?” Scott asked.

“You see that flower?” Stiles asked him.

“What about it?” Scott asked.

“I think it's wolfsbane”, he said.

“It is wolfsbane”, Paige said.

“What's that?” Scott asked.

Stiles walked over to the wolfsbane and pulled it out.

It was attached to a rope.

He stood up and kept pulling.

The rope led him in a spiral.

Paige’s heartbeat sped up as she realized what this meant. She watched as the body of the wolf slowly transformed. She cried out and collapsed to her knees in tears.

“Paige?” Stiles asked.

She covered her mouth as she cried.

Stiles walked over to her and gathered her in his arms. “Paige?” Stiles asked again.

“That’s my sister Laura!” she shrieked. Paige buried her face in Stiles’ shirt.

He shared a look with Scott as he tried to calm her down.

 

The next morning, Derek and Paige heard sirens.

Two police officers knocked on the door and Derek answered.

“Derek Hale, you are under arrest for murder. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law”, the police officer said, as he handcuffed Derek. He led him out to the squad car.

“Derek! Derek!” Paige yelled as she struggled against the sheriff, “Let me go! I need to talk to my brother!”

He let her go and she ran to Derek.

“Where am I going to go?” she asked him, “It’s not like Uncle Peter can take care of me”.

“These past 6 years you’ve been taking care of yourself. You’ll be okay”, he told her.

She didn’t have the heart to tell Derek that she hadn’t been taking herself. She had been taken care of by werewolf families who were loyal to her family.

He kissed her forehead and got in the cop car.

The Sheriff put his hand on her shoulder and said, “We’re going to need to ask you a few questions and then we’ll find somewhere for you to stay”. He led her to another squad car.

“It’ll be okay, Paige”, she heard Derek say.

 

“Does your brother have a history of violence?” the Sheriff asked.

“Yes, but not towards anyone he cares about”, she said truthfully.

“Is there any reason your brother would want to kill your sister?” he asked.

“Our sister. And no”, she said, “Derek wouldn’t kill Laura. He loved her”.

“Do you think she could’ve made him mad?” he asked.

“No”, she snapped. ‘ _But you’re starting to make me mad_ ’, Paige thought.

“Derek wouldn’t cut her in half”, Paige said.

“All right. Calm down Ms. Hale”, the sheriff said.

The same boy she ran into at school ran into the room.

“Dad?” he asked.

“Not now Stiles”, the sheriff said.

He looked at Paige and blushed. “Sorry. I’ll just…” he said and left.

“Excuse me”, the sheriff said. He got up and went into the other room. He pulled out a cell phone.

Paige listened in on the conversation.

“Please Melissa. I don’t know where else to send her. Thank you. I appreciate this”, the sheriff said. He came back in and said, “I found a place for you to stay”.

“Can I please see my brother?” she asked.

The Sheriff sighed and said, “Fine. 5 minutes”. He led her to the holding cells.

She stepped in front of her brother’s. “Derek?” she asked.

Derek shot up and came up to the bars. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be out of here in no time”, he said. He took something out of his pocket and put it in her hand. “I found this in your room”, he told her.

She opened her hand.

It was the necklace her mother had given to her the first time she shifted. It was the triskele that everyone in the Hale family had tattooed somewhere on their body.

Hers was between her shoulder blades like Derek.

“Thank you”, she said softly.

“It’s time to go”, the sheriff said.

Derek glared at him as he leaned forward to take in Paige’s soothing scent.

“I love you Derek”, she said.

“I love you too Paige”, he said, “Take care of yourself and keep an eye on Scott”.

She rolled her eyes and said, “Okay”. She followed the sheriff out of the precinct.

 

They pulled up to the McCall house and immediately Paige could smell the werewolf inside.

Scott looked out the window at the girl.

She looked up at him and flashed her yellow eyes at him.

They walked up to the door.

Melissa McCall answered.

“Melissa, this is the girl I told you about. Paige needs a place to stay until her brother is released”, the sheriff said, “I didn’t know who else to ask”.

“It’s fine”, she sighed, “Come on in and we’ll get you settled in”.

“Thank you Melissa. I didn’t want to keep her at my house, since I’m the one investigating her sister’s murder”, the sheriff said. The sheriff left and Paige entered the house.

“Scott! Come down and help!” Melissa called.

When Scott came down, the two teenage werewolves stared at each other.

Paige glared at Scott.

“We’re not going to have a problem are we?” Melissa asked.

“No. As long he stays out of my way”, she said shoving her bags into Scott’s arms.

 

That night, Stiles called her. “Coming to the game tonight?” he asked.

“No. I’m plotting ways to break my brother out of jail”, she told him.

“Well that sounds significantly boring”, he said, “Come on Paige”.

“I shouldn’t even be talking to you. You and Scott got my brother locked up”, she snapped.

“And we’re sorry, but if he didn’t kill your sister, then who did?” he asked.

“I don’t know okay?” she said. She heard a car drive up. “I swear to god Stiles, if that’s you…” she trailed off. She got up and looked out the window and saw Derek. She hung up on Stiles and grabbed her stuff. When she got outside, she dropped her stuff and hugged Derek.

“See? Told you everything would be okay”, he said.


	4. Pack Mentality

Paige walked up to Scott and Stiles in the hallway.

They both stopped walking and looked at her.

“Aren’t you two going to say something?” she asked them.

“We’re sorry about getting your brother thrown in jail”, Scott said.

“Thank you. So what are we talking about?” Paige asked.

“Apparently Scott had a dream where he killed Allison and he’s not sure if it was real or not”, Stiles supplied.

“You think it has something to do with me going out with Allison tomorrow, like I'm gonna lose control and rip her throat out”, Scott said.

“No, of course not”, Stiles said.

Scott gave Stiles a look.

“Yeah, that's totally it. Hey, come on, it's gonna be fine, all right? Personally, I think you're handling this pretty freakin' amazingly. You know, it's not like there's a lycanthropy for beginners class you can take”, Stiles said.

“Yeah, not a class, but maybe a teacher”, Scott said.

“Who, Derek?” Stiles asked slapping Scott on the head, “You forgetting the part where we got him tossed in jail?”

“You guys will be lucky if he doesn’t rip your throats out the next he sees you”, Paige said.

“Thank you for encouraging thought”, Stiles said and Paige stuck her tongue out at him.

“Yeah, I know, but chasing her, dragging her to the back of the bus, it felt so real”, Scott said.

“How real?” Stiles asked.

“Like it actually happened”, Scott said.

They went outside where the buses were parked.

There sat a bus with its back door open and blood all over.

“I think it did”, Paige said, while Scott looked like he was about to pass out.

Scott rushed back into the school, Stiles and Paige following him.

“Scott calm down”, Paige said, “If your heart rate continues to rise…”

“She's probably fine”, Stiles told him.

“She's not answering my texts!” Scott said continuing to freak out.

Paige while trying to keep up with the boys, wasn’t watching where she was going and ran into someone.

The two went tumbling to the ground.

Her green eyes met ocean blue ones. She blushed and realized everyone was looking at them. She quickly got off of the boy and started to gather her things. “I’m so sorry”, she said. She got a good look at the boy. “You’re on the lacrosse team. Number 14”, she said.

“Yeah. I’m Isaac. Isaac Lahey”, he said.

“Paige Hale”, she said, “Don’t let my name scare you off”.

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t scare easily”, Isaac said, lying.

She looked around and realized she had lost sight of Scott and Stiles.

The bell rang.

“I’m sorry. I have to go”, she said, “I’ll see you around Isaac”. She gathered the rest of her stuff. She ran off down the hall to her class.

Isaac looked down and noticed a necklace. He picked it up and realized that it belonged to Paige.

She would indeed see him later.

 

At lunch, Paige sat with Scott and Stiles.

“But dreams aren't memories”, Stiles said.

“Then it wasn't a dream. Something happened last night, and I can't remember what”, Scott said.

“What makes you so sure that Derek even has all the answers?” Stiles asked.

“Because during the full moon he wasn't changed. He was in total control while I was running around in the middle of the night attacking some totally innocent guy”, Scott said.

“It’s because you were bitten. It’s different when you’re born a werewolf. This is all we’ve ever known”, Paige told him.

“I can't go out with Allison. I have to cancel”, Scott said.

“Good luck with that”, Paige said, “You’ve already ditched her once”.

"No, you're not cancelling, okay? You can't just cancel your entire life. We'll figure it out”, Stiles said.

“Figure what out?” Lydia asked sitting down.

Suddenly a huge group of people sat down.

Paige was starting to feel uncomfortable. She looked up and saw Isaac across the room.

He looked up and held up her necklace.

She shot out of her seat.

“Paige!” Stiles called.

She walked over to his table and said, “C’mon”.

He got up and followed her out to the Lacrosse field. “Do you eat out here often?” Isaac asked her.

“No. I normally eat lunch with Scott and Stiles, but there were just too many people. I guess I’m like my brother in that respect. I’d rather be alone than be surrounded by people”, she said picking at her sandwich.

“Turn around”, Isaac said.

Paige did and she soon felt the familiar weight of her triskele rest against her chest. She turned back around and said, “Thank you. My mother gave it to me, before…”

“I’m sorry. I lost my mother too”, Isaac said.

“You didn’t lose your whole family”, she said. A few tears left her eyes.

Isaac reached over and whipped them away with his thumb.

The bell rang and Paige sighed.

She gathered up her stuff. “Thank you for returning my necklace Isaac”, she said and kissed his cheek.

 

“Paige, do you think I’m attractive to gay guys?” Stiles asked as they walked out to his jeep.

“I think you’re attractive”, she said blushing.

“Uh, Scott, Allison, Lydia, and Jackson are talking about going bowling soon. You should come”, Stiles said.

“But it would be awkward. I would be the only one without a date”, Paige told him.

“You could go with me, so I wouldn’t have to sit at home doing nothing”, Stiles said.

“I’m really bad at bowling”, she lied. She was actually really good.

“You don’t have to be good. It would be fun”, Stiles said.

“I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to drive me home”, Paige said changing the subject.

“Your brother doesn’t scare me”, Stiles said.

Paige gave him a look.

“Okay, so your brother scares me”, Stiles said. His eyes got wide and Paige turned around.

“Derek!” she exclaimed.

Derek looked down at Paige and said, “Ready to go?” Derek slipped his arm around her shoulders and led her to the car.

“You didn’t have to scare him like that”, Paige told him.

“Please. Like he stands a chance with you”, Derek said.

“So I’m not allowed to ever have a boyfriend?” she asked.

“Not a human”, he said.

“I have prefect control”, Paige snapped.

Derek and Paige didn’t talk for the rest of the ride home.

 

Hours later, they heard a police car drive up.

Derek motioned for Paige to be quiet as they listened.

“It looks pretty deserted, dispatch. Did you want me to take a look inside?” the police officer asked.

“Unit 16, it's county property. Order's to make sure it's vacant”, the operator said.

Paige and Derek watched from the window.

“I don't - I don't think anyone's home”, the police officer said hesitantly.

“For the love of God, 16, go inside and see if anyone's there”, the operator said.

“Copy that”, the officer said.

Derek’s eyes turned icy blue as he looked at the dog in the back seat.

“Don't do that”, the officer hissed.

The dog continued to bark and whine and at one point, tried to get out of the window.

“Okay, I'm coming. I'm coming”, the officer said and got in his squad car and left.

Shortly after the officer left, Scott walked up. “I know you can hear me. I need your help”, Scott said.

Paige and Derek made their way downstairs and Derek opened the front door.

They stepped out onto the front porch.

“Okay. I know I was part of you getting arrested and that we basically announced you being here to the hunters. I also don't know what happened to your sister. But I think I did something last night. I had a dream about - someone. But someone else got hurt. And it turns out that part of the dream might have actually happened”, Scott explained.

“You think you attacked the driver?” Derek asked. He knew all about what had happened at the school.

“Did you see what I did last night?” Scott asked.

“No, but Paige was kind enough to explain it to me”, Derek said.

“Can you at least tell me the truth? Am I gonna hurt someone?” Scott asked.

“Yes”, Derek said.

“Could I kill someone?” Scott asked.

“Yes”, Derek repeated.

“Am I gonna kill someone?” Scott asked.

“Probably”, Derek said.

“You’re not helping”, Paige snapped as Scott leaned against a pillar.

“Look, I can show you how to remember. I can show you how to control the shift, even on a full moon. But it's not gonna come for free”, Derek said.

“What do you want?” Scott asked.

“You'll find out. But for now, I'm gonna give you what you want. Go back to the bus. Go inside. See it, feel it. Let your senses - your sight, smell, touch - let them remember for you”, Derek explained.

"That's it? Just - just go back?” Scott asked him.

“Do you want to know what happened?” Derek asked.

“I just want to know if I hurt him”, Scott said.

“No, you don't. You want to know if you'll hurt her”, Derek said.

That night, Paige was bored out of her mind, so she texted Isaac.

_Wanna go bowling?-PH_   
_Bowling? Sure. Sounds like fun-IL_   
_Meet you there-PH_

Paige got up and ran down the stairs.

Derek stopped her at the front door. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“Out. Scott and some friends are going bowling”, she said, “I’ll be fine Derek”.

He stepped out of her way.

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

 

She got out of her car and Isaac ran up to her. “Hey”, she said, “Ready?”

“You have a car?” Isaac asked.

“Yeah. My brother just likes to drive me to school”, Paige said, “How did you get here?”

“Rode my bike”, Isaac said, “I pretty much ride it everywhere”.

Paige and Isaac went inside.

Isaac paid for their game and they picked out bowling balls.

“So, you any good at bowling?” Paige asked Isaac.

“Just watch and learn”, Isaac said.

“You won’t be so cocky when I beat you”, Paige said. Paige and Isaac were neck and neck until the very end.

In Isaac’s last frame, as Isaac was lining up his shot, Paige snuck up behind him and placed a kiss on his neck. Isaac jumped and threw the ball. It ended up in the gutter. “That wasn’t fair”, Isaac said.

“Who said I play fair?” Paige asked. She grabbed a ball and quickly threw it winning the game. She smirked.

Isaac wrapped his arms around her and leaned in.

“Not here”, she said. Her eyes fell to Scott.

Scott knew Stiles had a thing for her.

She took Isaac’s hand and led him over to the game section.

“Hold on. I’m good at these”, he said pulling her over a crane game.

“Which one do you want?” Isaac asked.

“The wolf”, she told him.

He put in a quarter and won it for her.

They went outside to Paige’s car.

“I’d better get back before my father comes home”, Isaac told her.

“I had fun tonight”, Paige said.

“Me too. We should hang out more often”, Isaac agreed.

Paige grabbed onto his hoodie and brought him closer to her. She leaned up and kissed him. “See you at school”, Paige said and got in her car.

Isaac watched her drive off and hoped his father wouldn’t be home when he got back.


	5. Magic Bullet

Paige was sleeping when Derek came bursting into the house yelling her name. She ran down the stairs. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed and grabbed her brother’s arm. 

He growled.

“Oh shut-up Derek”, she snapped. She took a look at the gunshot. “What kind of bullet is this?” she asked him. 

“Wolfsbane”, he said. 

“Okay, what do we do?” she asked. 

“I’ll take care of it”, Derek said, “Don’t worry”. 

Paige had a feeling that he was lying. 

 

The next morning, Paige was wary about going to school. 

“Are you sure you’ll be okay until I get back from school?” Paige asked. 

“Yeah. I’ll meet you after”, Derek said. 

She kissed Derek’s forehead and left for school. When Paige got to school, Scott and Stiles ran up to her. She shrugged them off. “Not now guys”, she said hurrying to her locker. 

There was a note taped to it. 

Good morning beautiful~Isaac 

Paige smiled, but then remembered that her brother could be dying. 

 

Paige was in class when she caught her brother’s scent. She shot out of her seat and grabbed her stuff. 

Isaac went after her. 

“Not now Isaac. I have to find my brother”, she said following the scent. She found Derek shuffling through the hallway. 

“Where’s Scott?” he asked. 

“How should I know?” she asked, “You look horrible”. 

Derek was sweating and he was pale. 

“Scott. It’s Paige. Derek’s here and I need help”, she said, praying that Scott was listening. 

The bell rang and Derek covered his ears. 

“Come on. We need to get you out of here”, she said. 

“I need Scott”, Derek said. 

“And I’ll find him!” she yelled. 

They went outside to the parking lot and found Stiles’ jeep. 

Derek let go of Paige and walked out in front of it. 

Stiles slammed on the breaks as Derek collapsed to the ground. 

Paige ran to the brother’s side. 

Stiles got out of the jeep as Scott ran over to them. 

“What are you doing here?” Scott asked. 

“I was shot”, Derek said. 

“He's not looking so good, dude”, Stiles said. 

“Not helping”, she said holding Derek up. 

“Why aren't you healing?” Scott asked. 

“He can't. It was - it was a different kind of bullet. I tried to help last night, but I can’t do anything”, Paige explained. 

“A silver bullet?” Stiles asked. 

“No, you idiot”, Derek snapped. 

“Wait, wait. That's what she meant when she said you had 48 hours”, Scott said, as if remembering something. 

“What? Who - who said 48 hours?” Derek asked. 

“The one who shot you”, Scott said. 

Derek’s body, while trying to fight through the pain, started to shift. His green eyes started to turn blue. 

“What are you doing? Stop that!” Scott said. 

“I'm trying to tell you, I can't!” Derek growled. 

“Derek, get up!” Scott ordered, “Help me to put him in your car”. 

Paige and Scott helped Derek up and put him in Stiles’ jeep. 

“I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used”, Derek told Scott. 

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” Scott asked. 

“'Cause she's an Argent. She's with them”, Derek said. 

“Why should I help you?” Scott said. 

“Because you need him! And he’s my brother!” Paige yelled. 

“Fine. I'll try. Hey get him out of here”, Scott told Stiles. 

“I hate you for this so much”, Stiles said. 

 

As Stiles drove, Paige took Derek’s hand and laced her fingers with his. 

Derek broke the connection when he took his jacket off. 

“Hey, try not to bleed out on my seats, okay? We're almost there”, Stiles said. 

“Almost where?” Paige asked. 

“Your house”, Stiles answered. 

“What? No, you can't take me there”, Derek said. 

“I can't take you to your own house?” Stiles asked. 

“Not when I can't protect myself”, Derek said. 

“I can protect you”, Paige said. 

“Paige, you’re 15”, he said. 

“And a werewolf too Derek!” she snapped as Stiles pulled over. 

“All right. What happens if Scott doesn't find your little magic bullet? Hmm? Are you dying?” Stiles asked. 

“No!” Paige said as Derek said, “Not yet. I have a last resort”. Paige didn’t like the sound of that. 

“What do you mean? What last resort?” Stiles asked. 

Derek rolled up his sleeve. His wound had gotten worse. 

“Oh, my God. What is that? Oh, is that contagious? You know what, you should probably just get out”, Stiles said. 

“Start the car. Now”, Derek ordered. 

“I don't think you should be barking orders with the way you look, okay? In fact, I think if I wanted to, I could probably drag your little werewolf ass out into the middle of the road and leave you for dead”, Stiles ranted. 

“Start the car, or I'm gonna rip your throat out - With my teeth”, Derek threatened. 

Stiles looked at him before starting the car again.

 

Later that night, Stiles pulled the car over to talk to Scott. 

“Paige, it’s gonna be okay”, Derek said. 

Paige turned her head away as her eyes filled with tears. 

“Paige, look at me”, Derek said. 

She shook her head. “Stop talking Derek”, she said, her voice light and airy. 

“What am I supposed to do with him?” Stiles asked Scott, “And, by the way, he's starting to smell. Like death. What about your boss?” 

“You're not gonna believe where he's telling me to take you”, Stiles said handing the phone to Derek. 

“Did you find it? Look, if you don't find it, then I'm dead, all right? Then think about this. The Alpha called you out against your will. He's gonna do it again. Next time you either kill with him or you get killed. So if you wanna stay alive, then you need me. Find the bullet”, Derek said and hung up. 

 

They got to the Animal Clinic and Paige helped Derek out of the jeep. 

Stiles got a text from Scott. “Does Nordic blue monkshood mean anything to you?” Stiles asked. 

“Monkshood is another word for wolfsbane”, Paige told him. 

“It's a rare form of wolfsbane”, Derek corrected Paige, “He has to bring me the bullet”. 

“Why?” Stiles asked. 

“'Cause I'm gonna die without it”, Derek said. 

Paige and Stiles led Derek into the examination room, where Derek took off his shirt. 

The wound had gotten even worse. 

His veins were more pronounced and turning black. 

The infection was starting up his arm. 

“Okay. You know, that really doesn't look like anything some Echinacea and a good night of sleep couldn't take care of”, Stiles joked. 

“Now is not the time Stiles!” Paige snapped, her eyes turning yellow. 

“When the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me”, Derek stated bluntly. 

“"Positivity" just isn't in your vocabulary, is it?” Stiles asked. 

“If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time - Last resort”, Derek said. 

“Which is?” Stiles said. 

“You're gonna cut off my arm”, Derek said holding up a bone saw.

“No! Scott is going to get here in time!” Paige yelled, starting to become hysterical. 

“Oh, my God. What if you bleed to death?” Stiles asked picking up the saw. 

“It'll heal if it works”, Derek said putting a tourniquet around his arm. 

“Ugh. Look - I don't know if I can do this”, Stiles said. 

“Why not?” Derek asked. 

“Well, because of the cutting through the flesh, the sawing of the bone, and especially the blood!” Stiles exclaimed. 

“You faint at the sight of blood?” Derek asked annoyed. 

“No, but I might at the sight of a chopped off arm!” Stiles yelled. 

“All right, fine. How about this? Either you cut off my arm, or I'm gonna cut off your head”, Derek threatened. 

“I swear to all that is holy Stiles, if you cut off my brother’s arm, I’ll be the one ripping your throat out with my teeth!” Paige threatened. 

“Okay, you know what; I'm so not buying your threats any…” Stiles said. 

Derek grabbed Stiles’ shirt and yanked him towards him. 

“Oh, my God. Okay. All right, bought, sold. Totally. I'll do it. I'll do it”, Stiles said, “What? What are you doing?” 

Derek leaned over the table and threw up a black substance. 

“Holy God, what the hell is that?” Stiles asked. 

“It's my body - Trying to heal itself”, Derek said. 

“Well, it's not doing a very good job of it”, Stiles said. 

“Now. You gotta do it now”, Derek said. 

“Derek…” Paige said, “Please don’t”. 

“Look, honestly, I don't think I can”, Stiles told him. 

“Just do it!” Derek yelled. 

“Oh, my God. Okay, okay. Oh, my God. All right, here we go!” Stiles said putting the bone saw on Derek’s arm. 

“Stiles!” Scott yelled. 

“Scott?” Stiles asked, his voice cracking. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Scott asked. 

“Oh, you just prevented a lifetime of nightmares”, Stiles told him. 

“Did you get it?” Derek asked. He handed the bullet to Derek. 

“What are you gonna do with it?” Stiles asked. 

“I'm gonna - I'm gonna…” Derek said before collapsing to the floor. 

“No. No, no, no, no”, Scott said going after the bullet. 

Paige dropped on her knees next to her brother. 

“Derek. Derek, come on, wake up. Scott, what the hell are we gonna do?” Stiles asked freaking out. 

“I don't know! I can't reach it”, Scott said. 

“He's not waking up!” Stiles yelled, “I think he's dying. I think he's dead!” 

“He is not dead!” Paige yelled, “I can hear his heartbeat. It’s faint, but it’s there. I think he’s just passed out”. 

“Just hold on! Come on. Oh! I got it! I got it!” Scott yelled. 

“Please don’t kill me for this Derek”, Paige said taking her brother’s arm. 

“What are you doing?” Scott asked. 

“My mother used to do this to wake wolves up”, she said. She shifted so her fangs were showing. She leaned down and sunk her fangs into her brother’s arm. 

Derek yelped in pain and woke up. “Give me…” Derek said and Scott gave him the bullet. 

Scott and Paige helped Derek stand up. 

“Break the bullet”, he said and handed it to Paige. 

She broke the bullet open and poured the contents onto the table. 

Derek lit it and then scooped it up in his hand. He took a deep breath before pressing it into the bullet hole. He dropped to the floor and screamed in pain. His screams eventually turning into growls. 

“That - Was - Awesome! Yes!” Stiles said excitedly. 

“Are you okay?” Scott asked. 

“Well, except for the agonizing pain”, Derek snapped. 

“I'm guessing the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health”, Stiles said. 

Derek got up and glared at Stiles. 

“Okay, we saved your life, which means you're gonna leave us alone, you got that? And if you don't, I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad, and I'm gonna tell him everything…” Scott ranted. 

“You're gonna trust them? You think they can help you?” Derek asked. 

“Well, why not? They're a lot freaking nicer than you are”, Scott said. 

“Do you know what they did?” Paige asked. 

“I can show you exactly how nice they are”, Derek said and Paige knew exactly where they were going. 

“What do you mean?” Scott asked. 

 

They drove to Beacon Crossing Home. 

“What are we doing here?” Scott asked as they got out of the car. 

“Just wait and see”, Paige said patting his shoulder. 

They went inside and walked into a room. 

In the room sat a man in a wheelchair. 

“Who is he?” Scott asked. 

“Our uncle. Peter Hale”, Paige said. 

“Is he - like you, a werewolf?” Scott asked. 

“He was. Now he's barely even human. Six years ago, my sister and I were at school, and our house caught fire. 11 people were trapped inside. He and Paige were the only survivors”, Derek explained. 

“Why weren’t you at school that day?” Scott asked Paige. 

“I was helping our mother care for some younger wolves. Peter got me out, but went back in to help the others”, Paige explained, “I fled to Brooklyn and stayed with another werewolf family that used to live here in Beacon Hills”. 

“So - What makes you so sure that they set the fire?” Scott asked. 

“'Cause they're the only ones that knew about us”, Derek said. 

“Well, then - They had a reason”, Scott said. 

“Like what? You tell me what justifies this”, Derek said turning Peter around so his burn scars were showing, “They say they'll only kill an adult, and only with absolute proof, but there were people in my family that were perfectly ordinary in that fire. This is what they do. And it's what Allison will do”.

“What are you doing? How did you get in here?” a nurse asked them. 

“We were just leaving”, Derek said. 

 

When they returned home, Derek confronted Paige. “Why didn’t you ever tell me that Peter got you out?” he asked her. 

“Because I didn’t think it was important”, she told him. 

“Did anyone else make it out alive?” he asked. 

“No”, she lied, “Just me and Peter”. 

“Why do I get the feeling you’re lying to me?” he asked. 

She cursed him in her head. 

He’d always been able to read her like a book. 

“Would you quit thinking I’m lying to you Derek!?” she yelled, “Peter got me out and went back in! There was nothing I could do! I was scared the hunters were going to come after me, so I shifted and ran. I ran for several days and found myself in New York. A family took me in. That’s where I’ve been!” Paige’s heart rate was up, her skin was flushed, and she was breathing heavily. 

“I’m sorry Paige…it’s just…I thought you were dead for 6 years. Do you know the kind of guilt I had to live with? It’s my fault. All my fault. I slept with Kate and she killed everyone”, Derek said. 

“When I get my paws on her, that bitch is dead”, Paige growled.


	6. The Tell

Derek came bursting into Paige’s room. “Get up”, he said throwing clothes at her. 

“Why?” she asked sleepily. 

"Don’t question, just get up”, Derek said and left. 

Paige growled and threw on some clothes. She met Derek out by the car. 

 

A few minutes later, they picked Scott up and went to the video store. 

They climbed up on the roof and watched the police. 

Scott looked around at all the damage. 

They watched as they wheeled a body out of the store.

“Starting to get it?” Derek asked Scott. 

“Uh, I get that he's killing people, but I don't get why. I mean, this isn't standard practice, right? We don't go out in the middle of the night murdering everyone, do we?” Scott asked. 

“No. We're predators. We don't have to be killers”, Paige told him, “Out mother used to say it”. 

“Then why is he a killer?” Scott asked. 

“That's what we're gonna find out”, Derek said stepping back from the ledge. 

Paige and Scott followed him. 

They went back to Paige and Derek’s house. 

“You know, I have a life too”, Scott said. 

“No, you don't”, Derek said going up the stairs. 

“Yes, I do!” Scott argued, “I don't care what you say about him making me his pet or…” 

“Part of his pack”, Derek corrected. 

“Whatever. I have homework to do. I have to go to a parent/teacher conference tomorrow because I'm failing chemistry”, Scott said. 

“You’re failing chemistry?” Paige asked him. 

“You wanna do homework? Or do you wanna not die? You have less than a week until the full moon. You don't kill with him, he kills you”, Derek told him. 

“Okay, seriously, who made up these rules?” Scott asked. 

Paige giggled. 

“It's a rite of passage into his pack”, Derek told him. 

“You know what else is a rite of passage? Graduating from high school. And you don't have to kill anyone to do it! Why can't you just find him yourself? Why can't you just sniff him out when he's a human?” Scott asked. 

“Because his human scent could be entirely different. It has to be you. You have a connection with him, a link that you can't understand. If I can teach you to control your abilities, you can find him”, Derek explained. 

“So if I help you - you can stop him?” Scott asked. 

“Not alone. We're stronger in numbers. A pack makes the individual more powerful”, Derek said. 

“How am I supposed to help if I have no idea what I'm doing?” Scott asked. 

“Because I'm gonna teach you. Do you remember what happened that first night you were shot in the arm - Right after you were hit?” Derek asked him. 

“Yeah, I changed back”, Scott answered. 

“And when you were hit by his car, same thing, right? What's the common denominator?” Derek asked him. He grabbed Scott’s wrist and started to squeeze it until the bones broke. 

Scott cried out in pain. “What the hell are you doing?” Scott asked. 

“It'll heal”, Derek said. 

“It still hurt!” Scott yelled. 

“And that's what keeps you human - Pain. Maybe you will survive”, Derek said and continued up the stairs. 

Paige helped Scott up. “Come on. I’ll take you home”, she said. 

“How?” he asked. 

“I have a car”, she told him.

 

The next day at school, Paige found Isaac. 

“I’m really sorry about the other day. It was a family emergency”, she told him. 

“Why does it always seem like you’re lying to me?” Isaac asked and Paige’s heart stopped. 

“Isaac, its complicated”, she said. 

Isaac slammed his locker door and said, “Well come find me when it stops being complicated”. 

Her heart broke as Isaac walked away. 

A hand clamped down on her shoulder. 

She would’ve jumped if she hadn’t smelled Derek’s scent. She turned to him and said, “Please don’t say anything”. 

Derek sighed and simply hugged his little sister.


	7. Heart Monitor

A few days later, Paige walked up to Scott in the hallway.

“If you keep muttering to yourself, people are going to think you’re crazy”, she told him.

“You know, your brother is being very cryptic”, he said, “He attacks me in a parking garage, proceeds to break my phone, and then shows up in my room”.

“Derek does what he pleases”, Paige said.

“What does a spiral mean? Derek won’t tell me. He says it’s nothing”, Scott said.

“And it is nothing”, Paige lied perfectly.

“Paige, come on”, Scott said.

“You don’t want to know”, she said and walked off as the bell rang. She skidded into English.

“Pleasure of you to join us Ms. Hale”, the teacher said.

Paige froze when she noticed the only seat open was next to Isaac. She sat down and didn’t look at him. She noticed he hissed when he moved and kept rubbing his ribs. “Are you okay?” she asked him.

“Lacrosse”, he said.

Paige had a feeling he was lying, but lacrosse was a violent sport, so she didn’t press.

When the bell rang, Isaac shot out of his seat.

Paige sighed and packed up her stuff.

 

At lunch time, she sat with Scott and Stiles like usual.

“Deciding to eat with us did you?” Stiles asked.

“I already told you. I don’t like big groups. I was uncomfortable”, she snapped.

They sat at a table so close to Lydia and Allison, that Scott tried to hide behind his history book.

“I think the book's making it more obvious. Besides, she's reading, anyway”, Stiles said.

“So did you come up with a plan yet?” Scott asked him.

“I think so”, Stiles said biting into his apple.

“Does that mean you don't hate me now?” Scott asked.

“No. But your crap has infiltrated my life, so now I have to do something about it. Plus I'm definitely a better Yoda than Derek”, Stiles said and Paige smacked him on the arm.

“Jeez woman!” Stiles snapped.

“That’s my brother we’re talking about here. Watch what you say”, Paige scolded him, “Teaching someone who’s bitten isn’t easy”.

“Okay, yeah, you teach me”, Scott said sarcastically.

“Yeah, I'll be your Yoda”, Stiles said.

“Yeah, you be my Yoda”, Scott said going with whatever Stiles was saying.

“Your Yoda I will be”, Stiles said, his imitation really bad.

Paige giggled as Scott shook his head.

“I said it backwards”, Stiles said realizing.

“Yeah, I - I know”, Scott said.

“All right, you know what? I definitely still hate you. Uh - huh. Oh, yeah”, Stiles said grabbing his stuff and getting up.

As Paige was packing her stuff up, she caught Isaac’s eye for a second.

She could smell the jealously rolling off of him. She quickly looked away and followed Stiles out of the lunch room.

 

That afternoon, Paige, Stiles, and Scott went out to the lacrosse field.

Paige was there to merely supervise in case Scott got out of control.

“Okay. Now - put this on”, Stiles said handing Scott a heart monitor.

“Isn't this one of the heart rate monitors for the track team?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, I borrowed it”, Stiles said.

“Stole it”, Scott corrected.

“Temporarily misappropriated. Coach uses it to monitor his heart rate with his phone while he jogs, and you're gonna wear it for the rest of the day”, Stiles told him.

“Isn't that coach's phone?” Scott asked.

“That, I stole”, Stiles admitted.

“Why?” Scott asked.

“All right, well, your heart rate goes up when you go wolf, right? When you're playing lacrosse, when you're with Allison, whenever you get angry. Maybe learning to control it is tied to learning to control your heart rate”, Stiles said. 

“Yeah, but your heart rate is more likely to rise when you’re aroused”, Paige said, “So unless you want to wolf out during sex…”

“Paige?” Stiles asked.

“Hmm?” she asked him.

“Too much information”, Stiles told her.

“I hate to break up your lover’s quarrel…” Scott said smiling.

“Would you shut up and put the strap on?” Stiles snapped.

After Scott put the heart rate monitor on, Stiles duct taped his wrists together.

“Yeah, because that’s going to hold him”, Paige said.

“Can you be positive for once in your life?” Stiles asked her.

“This isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my free period”, Scott said.

“All right. You ready?” Stiles asked.

“No”, Scott said.

“Remember, don't get angry”, Stiles told him.

Paige took a spot on the grass.

"I'm starting to think this was a really bad idea”, Scott muttered.

Stiles scooped up one ball and hit Scott.

Scott groaned.

Stiles scooped up another one and hit Scott again.

“Oh, man. Okay, that one - kind of hurt”, Scott groaned.

“Quiet. Remember, you're supposed to be thinking about your heart rate, all right? About staying calm”, Stiles told him.

“Stay calm. Staying calm. Staying totally calm. There's no balls flying at my face…” Scott muttered to himself as he was hit with more balls.

Stiles hit Scott a few more times.

“Aah! Son of a bitch!” Scott yelled.

“You know what? I think my aim is actually improving”, Stiles joked.

“Wonder why”, Scott said.

“Don't get angry”, Stiles reminded him.

“I'm not getting angry”, Scott told Stiles.

Stiles continued to hit Scott with balls.

“Stop. Just - can we just hold…” Scott said and dropped to his knees.

Paige could hear his heart rate rising.

Scott ripped the duct tape and banged his fists on the ground.

“Scott?” Stiles asked.

Paige ran over to him.

Stiles walked over to the two. “Scott, you started to change”, Stiles said.

“From anger. But it was more than that. Was like, the angrier I got, the stronger I felt”, Scott told him, panting.

“So it is anger, then. Derek's right”, Stiles said.

“See? My brother knows what he’s talking about”, Paige said.

“I can't be around Allison”, Scott said.

“Just because she makes you happy?” Stiles asked him.

“No, because she makes me weak”, Scott said.

“She’s your anchor Scott. An anchor keeps us human. For my brother, it’s anger. Allison can be your anchor”, Paige told him.

“And what’s your anchor?” Stiles asked.

“My brother”, Paige said, “I’ll meet you guys in Econ”.

 

Paige was the first one of the group to make it to Econ, the only class she didn’t share with Isaac.

Stiles started to sit down behind Scott, but Allison beat him to it. Stiles took a seat behind Paige, who was sitting next to Scott.

Paige slouched in her seat and her shirt moved down, exposing the top of her tattoo.

“What is that?” Stiles asked.

She pulled her shirt up and said, “Nothing. It’s nothing”. She spaced out for a few minutes until Coach Finstock said, “Let's settle down. Let's start with a quick summary of last night's reading. Greenberg, put your hand down. Everybody knows you did the reading. How about, uh – McCall”.

“What?” Scott asked.

“The reading”, Coach repeated.

“Last night's reading?” Scott asked.

“How about, uh, the reading of the Gettysburg Address?” Coach asked.

“What?” Scott asked getting annoyed.

“That's sarcasm. You familiar with the term "sarcasm," McCall?” Coach asked.

“Very”, Scott muttered.

“Did you do the reading or not?” Coach asked him.

“Uh - I think I forgot”, Scott said.

Coach continued to berate Scott and Paige could hear his heart rate rising.

Both Stiles and her were afraid Scott was going to shift in class.

Slowly his heart rate returned to normal.

Stiles and Paige looked over and saw Allison holding Scott’s hand.

Deep inside, Paige’s wolf howled for her mate.

When class was over, Paige quickly left the classroom. She needed to calm down her wolf, before she got out of control. She quickly dialed a number.

“Hello?” the person on the other end said, “Paige, what’s wrong?”

“My wolf”, she said, “I miss you”.

“I miss you too P.H.”, the person said.

She smiled at the nickname.

“I have to go”, she told them, “I just needed to hear you”.

“If I could be there, I would be. You know that Paige”, they said.

“I know. I’ll talk to you later”, she said.

“I’ll be awaiting your call”, they said and hung up.

Paige took a deep breath and pushed her wolf back down. She made her way to the front of the school and her brother’s car drove up. She got in and said, “Where are we going?”

 

They walked through the halls to Peter’s room. They entered and Derek sat on the bed.

“I need your help. If you can hear me, I need you to give me a sign. Blink. Raise a finger. Anything. Just - Just something to point me in the right direction, okay?” Derek asked.

He paused a moment before continuing.

“Someone killed Laura. Your niece. Laura? Whoever he is, he's an Alpha now. But he's one without a pack. Which means he's not as strong. I can take him. But I have to find him first. Look, if you know something, just give me a sign. Is it one of us? Someone else make it out of the fire? Just give me anything. Blink. Raise a finger. Anything”, Derek said, his anger rising, “Say something!”

“Let him go. You think after six years of this, yelling at him is going to get a response?” the nurse asked.

“Got a better method?” Derek asked her.

“Patience. He'll respond if you give him the time”, the nurse said.

“I don't have any more time”, Derek said storming out of the room.

“I apologize for my brother”, Paige said.

“It’s quite okay miss”, the nurse said, “I’ve dealt with him for 6 years”.

Paige looked at Peter.

“Try talking to him. He might not be able to respond, but he still understands what you’re saying”, the nurse told Paige.

The nurse left and closed the door.

Paige knelt down in front of her uncle. “Uncle Peter? It’s me Paige. I know I never thanked you for saving me, so I’m doing it now”, she said. She took one of Peter’s hands in her own. “When I get my hands on the Argents, I promise you they will pay for what they did to our family”, she said. She got up and kissed his head. She left the room and found Derek waiting for her. “What?” she asked him.

He reached out and whipped away a tear that was falling down her cheek.

“It’s just so hard to see him this way and not being able to do anything about it”, she growled.

“Come on. The night’s not over yet”, Derek said leading her to the car.

Tucked into his windshield wipers was a sheet of paper.

Derek opened it and looked at it.

“What is it?” Paige asked.

Derek said nothing and got in the car.

 

Their next stop was the Animal Clinic.

The sign read closed, but Derek and Paige entered anyway.

“Scott, you're late again. I hope this isn't getting to be a habit. Can I help you?” Deaton asked, noticing the two werewolves.

“Hope so. Want to know about the animal you found with the spiral on its side?” Derek asked him.

“Excuse me? What animal?” Deaton asked.

“Three months ago. The deer”, Derek said. He opened the paper and showed Deaton. “You remember this?” Derek asked him.

“Oh, yes. It's just a deer. And I didn't find it. They called me because they wanted to know if I'd ever seen anything like it”, Deaton answered.

“What'd you tell 'em?” Derek asked.

“I told them no”, Deaton told him.

The two Hale’s noticed the jump in his heart rate.

“Did you hear that?” Derek asked him.

“Hear what?” Deaton asked.

“The sound of your heartbeat rising”, Paige answered.

“Excuse me?” Deaton asked.

“It's the sound of you lying”, Derek said. Derek grabbed Deaton and proceeded to beat him until he was unconscious. Derek tied him to a chair and the two siblings waited for him to wake up. “Are you protecting someone?” Derek asked once Deaton had woken up.

“All right. The key to the drug locker is in my pocket”, Deaton said.

“I don't want drugs. I want to know why you're lying”, Derek said grabbing Deaton’s neck.

“I don't know what you're talking about”, Deaton said.

Derek lifted Deaton and the chair off the ground.

“What are you doing to me? What do you want?” Deaton asked.

“I want to know who you are or who you're protecting”, Derek told him.

“What are you doing?” Scott exclaimed.

“Scott, get out of here!” Deaton yelled.

Derek set Deaton down and punched him again.

“Stop! Stop!” Scott yelled running over to Derek.

“Look, when he's conscious, he can keep himself from healing, but unconscious, he can't”, Derek explained.

“Are you out of your mind? What are you talking about?” Scott asked him.

“You want to know what the spiral means, Scott? It's our sign for a vendetta, for revenge. It means he won't stop killing until he's satisfied”, Derek snapped.

“You think he's the Alpha?” Scott asked him.

“We're about to find out”, Derek said. Derek pulled his fist back to hit Deaton again, but Scott wolfed out and grabbed his arm.

Scott growled and said, “Hit him again, and then you'll see me get angry”.

Derek paced around the room, while Scott cleaned Deaton up. Derek, fed up of waiting, walked over to Scott. “Do you have a plan?” he asked.

“Just give me an hour”, Scott said.

“Then what?” Derek asked.

“Meet me at the school. In the parking lot”, Scott said and left.

Derek sighed and untied Deaton. He carried him to the car, where he put him in the back seat.

 

Derek and Paige pulled up to the school and got out of the car.

“Where's my boss?” Scott asked.

“He's in the back”, Derek said.

The two boys looked in.

“Oh, well, he looks comfortable”, Stiles said.

Scott and Stiles started to head towards the school.

“Wait. Hey. What are you doing?” Derek asked.

“You said I was linked with the Alpha. I'm gonna see if you're right”, Scott said and continued walking.

A few minutes later, Paige and Derek heard a howl that sounded like a dying cat.

“You've got to be kidding me”, Derek sighed.

The second howl sounded like the real thing and would’ve turned any beta’s eyes yellow had he been an alpha.

“I'm gonna kill both of you”, Derek said, when Scott and Stiles came out of the school, “What the hell was that? What are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?”

“Not to mention any werewolf in the state”, Paige said.

“Sorry. I didn't know it would be that loud”, Scott said.

“Yeah, it was loud. And it was AWESOME”, Stiles said.

“Shut up”, Derek said listening.

Paige could hear growling.

“Don't be such a sour wolf”, Stiles said.

“What'd you do with him?” Scott asked.

“What?” Derek said turning back to the car, “I didn't do anything”.

The alpha suddenly appeared behind Derek and blood started coming out of his mouth.

Stiles and Scott grabbed Paige and ran inside of the school.

“DEREK!” Paige screamed.


End file.
